


Two Twenty Somethings

by Captain_Cabinets



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Again, Can you tell?, Drinking, Drunkenness, It's cute so far, Jealous Sirius, M/M, Nightmares, Remus is Confused, Remus is lovely, Sirius is being cute, Tattoos, Who knows what's to come in the future, a little look into their past at times, and embarrassed, and handsome, apparently, general happiness, mention of remus' scars, more jealous sirius, remus is a book worm, remus isn't used to 'boys nights out', sirius being a soppy twat, their kitchen is my favourite place, they're honestly in love i promise just in a weird way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-10 17:31:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8926027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Captain_Cabinets/pseuds/Captain_Cabinets
Summary: A contemplation of the events that go on whilst Remus and Sirius live together. The happy times, the heartbreaks, the tears, the laughs - everything two 'best friends' get through together.





	1. Mornings suck for Remus - kind of.

Sharing a place with Sirius was hard, Remus thought to himself as he rubbed his eyes – the watery, thin sunlight streaming through the curtains. The noise of pots and pans being thrown into the sink was making Remus flinch. For once, all he wanted was a lie in. And God forbid if Remus made even the tiniest noise when Sirius was trying to sleep.  
Remus took a deep breath and stood up, plodding along the creaky floorboards until he reached the door only to stop due to it being opened right in his face.

  
“Hello,” Remus muttered, his voice was cloudy with sleep and had a strange sticky tone to it.  
“Morning!” Sirius grinned, that stupid grin that made Remus groan internally and outwardly roll his eyes. “I made you coffee.” He reached out and handed the mug to Remus who accepted it gratefully.  
“Thank you, Sirius.” He muttered, placing the cup down.

  
The two twenty-somethings lived in a flat which came complete with a faulty washing machine, creaky floorboards and a massive bathroom. The only good thing about it was the bathroom, because the kitchen was long and awkward and made cooking as a pair shuffly and bumpy. The bedrooms were small, barely big enough for a double bed and a wardrobe, which was a huge problem for Remus who was currently keeping his entire book collection in the out of use downstairs toilet until the pair could get a bookcase. The living room was alright. Small, no surprise, but warm. It had a fireplace, light curtains and a TV. Big chairs and a picture of Sirius and Remus above the fireplace – which made the place feel like home.  
Coffee was about the only thing Sirius could successfully make. He was useless at cooking, Remus had no idea how he would survive if it wasn’t for him. Which at times did make him a little smug.

  
“Breakfast?” Sirius asked, eyeing up an obviously very drowsy Remus who could’ve done with another hour in bed.  
“Are you serious?” Remus asked, his straight face breaking a little at the pun.  
Sirius grinned and nodded.  
“No, fuck off. I meant, are you honestly telling me you woke me up because _you_ are hungry?”  
“I never said that!” Sirius gasped.  
“Then who’s going to make the breakfast? You?” Remus questioned, clenching his jaw.  
Sirius shrugged, taking a step towards Remus and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Well, me… I mean, I’m honoured but-”  
“But you can’t cook.” Remus smirked,  
Sirius’ eyebrows drew together in an expression which Remus knew as mock sadness. “I’m trying.”  
“But not succeeding.” Remus grinned and brushed past Sirius, their bodies coming close together as two fully grown men squeezed through a rather small doorway.

Their lives were full of this these days, full of little touches that should’ve meant nothing but always meant something. Bodies being pressed together, small hand touches, knees brushing lightly at dinner time, a hand through the hair if one got carried away. It was risky business.

“I’ll make you breakfast after I wash.” Remus muttered, plodding his way to the bathroom where he began to run the bath.  
Sirius smirked to himself as he watched Remus, he had noticed that Remus was usually so light on his feet – it was almost graceful. However, when he was tired he would plod, his feet making a slight ‘thud’ as they connected with the floor. Accompanied by a loud creak.

Sirius – and Remus for this matter – continuously told themselves that they weren’t in love.  
That it was normal for Remus to notice how long Sirius’ eyelashes looked when he slept.  
Or that it was normal for Sirius to smile when Remus’ hair looked a little ginger due to the lighting.  
Or that it was normal for Remus to want to have more physical contact with Sirius.  
Or that it was normal for Sirius to be so full of feelings for Remus he could almost burst.  
All normal. Completely.

Remus grinned at Sirius before he closed the bathroom door and went about his business. Remus was quite partial to a bubble bath, they made him happy. The temperature had to be just right, not too warm that it made him want to die on the inside but warm enough that he could be in it for at least an hour without it getting properly chilly.

A while later Remus had been bathing for a good half an hour, his eyes closed as he thought about his current relationship with his best friend.  
A knock at the door made him sigh. “Yes?” He answered.  
“Ready?” An obviously impatient Sirius asked, Remus could hear the floorboards screeching as Sirius rolled back and forth on the balls of his feet.  
“Not really.” Remus muttered as he sank lower into the bath and listened as Sirius sighed and walked away. Remus could picture the pout that undoubtedly coloured his face.

Another thirty minutes passed and Remus washed his hair and his body before he returned to his thoughts. His mind wandering in all sorts of places. For Remus was a dreamer and had been ever since the harsh reality of his existence had hit him, dreaming seemed to be his only outlet for happiness.  
Another knock.  
“Sirius, no.” Remus murmured, water up to his belly button, his one leg out of the bath, bubbles around his body.  
Sirius burst through the door with a sour look on his face. “I’ve been waiting for hours.” Sirius muttered.  
Remus’ expression quickly turned from relaxed to mildly horrified. Remus was lucky that the bathroom was so big, so the bath was big, so he was fully submerged in water and bubbles were basically covering him. “Get out!” Remus muttered, awfully aware of how inappropriate this scenario was.  
“Breakfast.” Sirius said, raising his head to look at Remus, then at Remus’ body. His amused expression soon turned weak. His smile dropping. And with that, Remus looked down.

Of course, Sirius had seen him shirtless before – but probably never this close, and never in this kind of situation. Remus’ scars showed. He already had one on his face and one on his neck. Though he had a few peppered on his abdomen, one on his left bicep, another on his right rib cage and a final one near his naval which disappeared under the bubbles.  
“Sirius?” Remus asked, somewhat calmly. Although, alarm bells were certainly ringing in his own head.  
“I never…” Sirius trailed off.  
Remus clenched his jaw and inhaled deeply through his nose. “Sirius.” He muttered, his whole body by this point had gone rather red and blotchy.  
“I never quite realised that you had so many scars.”  
“Yeah, well, I do!” Remus said, defensively.  
“It’s not a bad thing.” Sirius said, he sat on the edge of the bath. “Do you remember how you got them all?”  
“Not really,” Remus muttered. “Can we talk about this when I get out?”  
“Uncomfortable?” Sirius asked and that stupidly perfect grin lit up his face before he left the bathroom.  
Remus sank lower into the bubbles.

A little while later Remus padded into the living room, dressed now with relatively damp hair. He sat in his chair and eventually turned his gaze to meet Sirius’.  
“What, Padfoot?” Remus asked, sighing.  
“Tell me…”  
“Why do you want to know?!” Once again the shield that Remus so often put up around himself returned.  
“Because… I’m interested in you Moony. And because each of your pretty little – or big – scars tell a story. I want to know.” Sirius muttered, a small smile playing on his lips. A genuine one.  
Remus turned a little so he was facing Sirius and shrugged. “Okay, we’ll start with my face then…”


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus lay awake in the early hours of a Saturday morning, listening carefully to Sirius.

Sirius was prone to nightmares. Had been from a very young age, some nights it was just one – others it would be ten. There were nights where Remus would burst into his room at 4:00AM to the sounds of Sirius screaming, only to find him fidgeting under the covers. Remus never minded being woken up, Remus never minded grabbing Sirius a cup of tea, Remus never minded calming him in hushed tones. Remus had nightmares sometimes, his were less frequent but always very graphic and scarring. Both men weren’t the best sleepers, but Sirius had a strong belief he would grow out of his nightmares. 

Remus lay awake in the early hours of a Saturday morning, listening carefully to Sirius down the hall who was currently breathing fast, fidgeting around in his bed and fighting with the covers. Remus could tell, the beds were extremely squeaky – besides the two men had agreed they’d sleep with their doors slightly ajar, just in case.  
Remus listened to the progression of the nightmare, the small noises, the muffled words, the louder Sirius got – the worse it was getting.

The pair had endured many conversations about Sirius’ nightmares – starting when they were back in Hogwarts. Remus remembered all of them. How Sirius liked to be treated, how he preferred to be woken up, what drink he preferred after certain nightmares, what his usual nightmares entailed – Remus wasn’t sure if he retained all this information perfectly just by chance or whether it was because of something deeper. 

Remus got out of bed and quietly tip toed to Sirius’ room, he pushed the door open slightly and sat on the edge of the bed.   
“Sirius,” Remus muttered softly, reaching over to hold his shoulder – his other hand brushing the dark locks out of his face.   
Sirius didn’t react much, instinctively he flinched away from the touch but didn’t stir from his dream.   
Remus then uttered his name a little louder and held both his shoulders. “Come on, Sirius. Wake up, it’s just a dream. I’m here, Padfoot.” He shook Sirius softly.  
Sirius gasped as he awoke, sitting up and taking a few deep breaths as if all the air in the room was being sucked away. 

There had been a few close calls in situations like this where Sirius would try to hurt Remus due to the nature of the nightmare he was having, which usually ended up with Remus being more scared than Sirius was previously. The thing was Remus wasn’t sure if he was strong enough against Sirius, especially not in a situation like this.   
Sirius always insisted he would rather be awake – this was because all of his dreams could be real. Meaning he felt as though the bad things he had once encountered would be happening again and there was nothing he could do to stop them. And Remus knew that feeling.

“Fuck,” Sirius muttered, crashing back down against the pillow – rubbing his face. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”   
Remus shuffled down, his one leg straight, the other bent as he lay on the bed with Sirius. “Shh, it’s okay. Do you want to talk about this one?”   
“I don’t think so Padfoot, it’s only a usual one.” Sirius said, turning on his side to face Remus. “Thank you, did I go for you today?”   
“No, you didn’t. Do you want a drink?” In the dark, Remus felt as though he could properly see Sirius. He felt as though Sirius exposed himself in the dark in a way he never would in the light. The light filtering through the flimsy curtains showed Sirius’ watery eyes, his long eyelashes that were somewhat damp, the slight curve of his lips that always made Remus smile.   
“Yeah, I’ll come.” The two men pulled themselves off the bed and began to pad their way downstairs – Sirius wearing only pyjama bottoms, while Remus opted for a top too. He always did, regardless of the fact that Sirius told him his scars were nothing to be ashamed of. Remus wasn’t completely comfortable. 

They both worked their way into the long and thin kitchen – Remus filling the kettle up, while Sirius got the cups – every so often they’d bump into each other, or brush bodies. It was all rather fun.   
“You know,” Sirius said, he leaned against one counter while Remus leaned against the one opposite him. Their bare feet brushing ever so slightly. “I could get used to these late night dates.” He joked, grinning at Remus.   
“My early mornings couldn’t.” Remus said softly and Sirius smiled.  
“It’s funny because whenever you wake up under these circumstances you never have your morning voice, even though it is the morning.”   
“My morning voice?” Remus questioned, tilting his head.  
“Yeah. When I wake you up on a normal day you’re usually all rough and weird.”  
“Well, I suppose… I kind of have to wake up pretty fast. So I don’t have a morning voice.” Remus shrugged, turning to tend to the tea. “What are you doing noticing my different voices anyway?” He teased.  
“Just observing.” Sirius smiled, looking to Remus fondly. 

Sirius figured that he would never truly know if Remus felt the same way about him, but he had come to terms with that. And he supposed he was fine with it. He could argue that Remus was exceptionally nice to him – but Remus always possessed a kindness that he himself hadn’t. He could argue that Remus always smiled at him and joked with him – but when he was in a good mood Remus was always smiley. He could argue that Remus and he touched more than he ever had with anyone else – but maybe Sirius just hadn’t been touched a lot. And he could argue that in their short lives they already had a history of over ten years – but that wasn’t really anything special.   
And while Sirius thought about this with his eyes fixated on the ground, Remus stared at him. A fond flame burning in his eyes that never showed for anybody else. It was times like these that were properly special. That showed the true lengths of their friendship, for Remus would do anything for Sirius. And as it seemed, Sirius would do anything for Remus.   
So maybe this friendship was different.   
Just maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel as though this story is now going to go; Remus, Sirius, Remus, Sirius etc.  
> If anybody has any suggestions on a specific topic to write about then just lmk.


	3. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Best friends get jealous too, don't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics are Sirius' thoughts.

For a long while now Remus had been taking jobs where he could here and there, switching often – never staying still. All the jobs were below his level of ability, but he said he knew what the reaction would be when his workmates realised his pattern of growing ill once a month at the full moon. The longest he had managed to stay at a job was 4 months, before he began to get some strange looks and rumours started circulating.

It pained Sirius to watch it though, because with the amount of potential Remus had he should be doing something amazing, something wondrous. Sirius knew he could master anything he put his heart into.

His latest job Remus seemed to like more than any of the others – Sirius however, couldn’t work out why. He was about one and a half months in, a maximum of two months left for Remus. It was like he was constantly counting down the days.

And soon, Sirius realised why Remus was so joyful. It was over a man. A man whom Sirius recognised when he waved at him from across the street, however he couldn’t place him. After a few moments of wondering as he walked along he realised why he recognised the man and it was because he had seen him with Remus a couple of times before. He had walked Remus to meet Sirius when they were meeting for lunch, or sometimes he would be leaving the pub when Sirius walked in to meet Remus, or when Sirius was picking Remus up after work they’d be having a chat together.

And ever since that day, Sirius had been waiting. Waiting with a heavy chest to say something – for about four days now.

Every day Remus would come home and ask Sirius if he was okay – because apparently he seemed ‘a little lower than usual.’

_Well what does he expect!_ Sirius thought to himself, sitting on the countertop in their thin and dwindling kitchen.

But then as soon as Remus started proper conversation, and the first smile erupted from Sirius – he forgot all about it. Because then Remus was with him, and was his. But when he left the house in the mornings, Sirius would clench his jaw and his hand would ball into fists.

Sirius had always been the jealous type. Actually, that’s a lie. Sirius never usually cared. But once again, Remus was different. _No surprises there, haha!_ Sirius thought to himself, still sitting on the countertop.

Sirius waited on that countertop for an hour until Remus came in at 5PM.

“Hey Sirius. What’re you doing up there?” Remus asked upon entering the kitchen, smiling gently at him.

“What’re you doing with that man?” Sirius blurted out. It was unintentional. _Real smooth, Sirius. Nice one._

Remus turned and looked over his shoulder, smirked lightly and looked back to Sirius. “No, sir. I believe I’m perfectly alone.”

The smirk made Sirius bite the inside of his cheek.

“No. You have this… Friend. I see you with him all the time, so much actually that he recognises me and waved at me in the street. When you weren’t there.”

“Oh, yes. That’s John-”

“Who’s John?!” _Sirius you’re starting to sound like an idiot now, tone it down._

“If you hadn’t interrupted me I would’ve told you that he’s a man that I work with.  He’s very funny and rather nice to talk to.” Remus smiled gently, leaning up against the kitchen door – his eyes set upon Sirius, a fondness glimmering within them. “What does it matter to you?”

“Well, you’re with him practically all the time.”

“Funny he says that about you.”

“I’m hardly with you!” Sirius muttered.

“Are you serious, Padfoot? I’m with you almost every evening from 5PM, every morning, every weekend, every lunchbreak, every holiday.” Remus exclaimed, smiling slightly although it faltered. He wondered if this was a joke. “Now, what’s this all about?” His voice was quieter now.

“Nothing.”

“Really? Because you sounded jealous.”

“Jealous?!” Sirius exclaimed, an expression crossing his features – as though Remus had insulted him - before he looked down to the tiled floor. _Yes, Remus. I am jealous. Why? Please, don’t ask. We’re just friends, I have no right to be jealous, I know._

“I got jealous when you spent time with that Iris girl, remember? You met up with her when you went to that concert? Or something like that. And you really got along, so you kept meeting up for lunch and drinks and… Basically annoying the fuck out of me.” Remus admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t talk to you for basically two weeks?”

Sirius thought about that for a while. Before his mind wandered to the way Remus swore. It was quite comical really, the whole sentence would be flowing perfectly and then as soon as he swore his voice dipped and he was quiet. For that one syllable he sounded innocent. As if the word was foreign on his tongue. Sirius loved that.

“Yeah…” Sirius muttered, although that hardly mattered. She turned out to be boring and Sirius would rather be in Remus’ company. But Remus still liked this John boy, whoever he was.

Remus sighed and sauntered over to Sirius, placing his hands on Sirius’ thighs as he looked up to the man. “Look, he doesn’t mean anything.”

“But he’s so funny and nice to talk to.” Sirius mocked in his best Remus voice, his eyes darting from Remus to the wall.

“Funny,” Remus smirked. “Look. You’re my best friend, nobody will ever replace you. And I think John gets that-”

“Yeah, I bet he does.” Sirius said sarcastically, his mouth drawn tightly into a frown. His voice deadpan.

“Well, if he doesn’t he must be rather stupid. I talk about you /all/ the time.” Remus said, squeezing Sirius’ thighs instinctively. – Little touches, it was all about their little touches.

“Why would you?!”

“Because you’re my best friend, and all my stories involve you. Because not a day goes by where I don’t see you, or speak to you, or think of you.” Remus laughed to himself dryly, shaking his head. “Now, come down off that countertop so I can make us some tea.”

Sirius shuffled down and began to walk out of the kitchen, turning on his heel in the doorway. “You’re mine too, y’know?”

“Your what?” Remus asked, his eyes meeting with Sirius’.

“You’re my best friend.”

“Oh. Of course I know.”


	4. Out on the town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of touching.  
> The morning after soon to come.

“Let’s go out!” Sirius proposed to a rather bored looking Remus. It was only 7PM and the two men had already exhausted all the board games they had.

“Mmh. Where? It’s late.” Remus muttered.

“To a bar.”

Remus laughed dryly and shook his head. “You can be my guest, Padfoot. But I think I’ll be saying here.”

“Oh, come on, Moony. Where’s your excitement, huh? Go on, put on a nice shirt and we’ll go out on the town.” Sirius grinned, he was already getting up – regardless of Remus’ protests.

“It isn’t really my scene. Besides, I’m not coming along just to help you get off with some girl.” Remus said, his eyes set firmly upon Sirius – his chin resting on his hand.

Sirius laughed and brushed his hand along Remus’ face, resting it on his cheek. “Shut up, you’ll be the one getting off. How could anybody resist this face?” Sirius said fondly, smiling at Remus.

Remus felt goose-bumps run up his spine and his took in a breath. “Fine. Come on.”

After they changed and freshened up, they found themselves inside a night club.

“Pulse.” Remus noted the name, looking around. All the while Sirius’ eyes were on Remus. _He should dress up more often._ Sirius thought. He should, Remus looked dashing in a fitted shirt and a pair of jeans. It was just a shame Remus would never know.

Sirius looped his hand around Remus’ waist. “Anxious? You seem it.” A cheeky grin curled onto Sirius’ lips and Remus rolled his eyes.

“I’ll get us some drinks, go and get us a seat.” Remus wandered to the bar and ordered, looking around as he waited. The building was very modern compared to most, it was very… White. Full of youths, people like themselves. Remus wondered why they didn’t go out much anymore, Remus had never really been fond of it – but Sirius quite enjoyed a dance and a drink.

“Hello Handsome.”

Remus turned to find a young brunette smiling at him, she had dark skin and piercing green eyes that Remus felt he knew. “Oh, hello.” He muttered, suddenly wishing that he was Sirius. He would know what to do.

But things like this were tricky. Because what was he supposed to do? Try and ‘get off’ with this beautiful girl who for a reason unknown to him had an interest in him? Because if he was, it didn’t feel right.

Him and Sirius weren’t a couple, they were very close friends, yes. That’s maybe all they’d ever be. But they had these moments… These times of weakness and Remus could never work out what they meant. He never knew what the midnight hugs meant, or the kisses on the forehead. He could never tell if the hand on his thigh was sexual, romantic or friendly. He never knew. And probably never would.

“Are you here alone?” She asked, a smile forming on her lips. She seemed to talk effortlessly over the music, while Remus struggled with it slightly. He had a naturally quiet tone.

Remus could feel himself getting warmer and shook his head. “Uh, no. I’m here with a friend, I’m just getting the drinks.” He said.

“A lady friend?” She questioned, raising her eyebrows as she took a step towards Remus.

“Uh, no, no. A male friend.” Remus nodded, suddenly wishing that the barman would prioritise his order.

She laughed. “Fun, a boy’s night out. I’m Iris, by the way.”

“Remus.”

“Well Remus, I’d be stupid to not notice how anxious you are. I’ll leave you to get used to the atmosphere, if you need me I’ll be right over there.” She pointed to a set of tables directly next to the dancefloor. Remus nodded and smiled, watching as she walked away.

He sighed a breath of relief and turned back to the barman who was finally putting out their drinks. “Thank you, add it to our tab will you. Black is the name.”

Remus turned and wandered around, attempting to find Sirius. He found him eventually, sitting at a table in a corner. Remus smiled to himself and sat next to him, passing him his drink.

“See, it’s not too bad is it?” Sirius grinned, immediately sipping at his drink. “If I didn’t know you better I could’ve sworn you were talking to a girl at the bar.” Sirius smirked.

“Actually, she was talking to me and I was extremely awkward about the whole ordeal. Out of practise.” Remus muttered, a bit embarrassed as he looked to Sirius.

_Good._ Sirius thought. As bad as it sounded Sirius didn’t want Remus to be going home with anybody but him tonight, and if he decided to then Sirius definitely would be as well.

A few drinks passed and the pair were feeling tipsy, Remus more-so than Sirius.

“You’re such a lightweight!” Sirius laughed.

A few more drinks downed and they found themselves on the dancefloor, surrounded by other sweaty bodies. At this point Remus was feeling rather drunk, his vision was starting to blur and every time he moved his head his eyes took a little longer to catch up.

Sirius’ arm was looped around Remus’ waist – the two laughing as they moved together. It was a blur of flashing light, small touches and warmth.

That was until-

“Remus!” Iris – the girl from the bar – had worked her way through the busy dancefloor and over to Remus. “Nice to see you again, is this your friend?”

She asked, smiling at Sirius. “Yes, I am. I’m Sirius, and you are?” Sirius, although when he was just dancing surprisingly close to Remus seemed pretty drunk himself, immediately stood up straight and spoke as though he was speaking to the Queen. Although, there was a slight slur in his voice.

“I’m Iris, nice to meet you Sirius.” She smiled and Sirius half-heartedly returned it, although he instinctively edged towards Remus.

“Remus, you only said he was a friend, you didn’t tell me he was…” Iris said, smirking lightly at Remus whose jaw dropped slightly and before he could pipe up Sirius did.

“Didn’t he? God, we’re a new couple, friends to lovers. He’s just not used to it yet. Are you, babe?” Sirius said, a large grin slithered onto his lips – his eyes seeming to grow darker as a mischief worked their way into them.

Remus laughed and shook his head, a confused look striking his features. 

Iris’ nodded and laughed, a little dryly and awkwardly now. She said her goodbyes and disappeared through the crowd. Remus stared at Sirius, who in this light, with that expression, in those dark clothes looked breath-taking.

Black was Sirius’ colour theme – ironically - that night, and usually every night – but it never failed to make Remus look twice.

“Why did you tell her that?” Remus asked, tilting his head – his voice slurred as he still moved lightly with the rhythm.

“For a bit of fun.” Sirius joked, grinning at Remus. “Besides,” he leaned in and let his lips touch Remus’ ear. “It could be real.” He purred.

Remus’ eyes widened and he laughed lightly. “Shots?”

“Shots.” Sirius agreed, moving to the bar.


	5. The Morning After

Sirius awoke the next morning, squinting against the light that filtered in through the thin curtains. The throbbing in his head made him groan internally, his tongue felt heavy and his saliva felt thick. Last night had turned out to be rather messy, so messy in fact that he had pretty vivid memories of carrying Remus home in a fireman’s pose because he was too drunk to walk – he had always been a lightweight.

Sirius smiled to himself before he stretched, stopping dead as his toe brushed against something. He a small smirk pulled at the sides of his lips and he turned to find Remus sleeping silently in a ball, nestled happily under the covers. Sirius, albeit a little surprised, couldn’t help but smile. Sirius should’ve expected that they’d end up in bed together, it happened almost every time they went out together. Though those times were few and far between.

In the faint and watery sunlight, Remus’ pale skin seemed to sparkle and the fine brown freckles appeared more prominent than ever. His hair had that wonderful ginger tint that Sirius was rather fond of. He had a slight smile curved onto his pale pink lips and a small bit of his shoulder was exposed. The rest of him nestled into the blanket.

Which made Sirius think, he reached down and felt himself – relieved to find that he was still wearing boxers. 

Sirius’ eyes rested upon Remus and he found he was happy just looking. Sirius would always regard Remus so fondly if speaking about him to another, to his face Sirius might not be so nice – but if somebody asked about Remus he’d tell them that they’d never find anybody better.

Because in Sirius’ opinion they wouldn’t.

Remus was loyal, he was kind – kind when he ought not to be, kind when other people didn’t deserve his kindness, kind when he should feel anything other than kind. He was handsome, funny – despite everything he had been through, he walked about with an air of grace and he was incredibly smart. He was a fast reader – something Sirius never was. And if Remus wasn’t as brave, selfless and determined as he was Sirius was sure he’d be a Ravenclaw. But within Remus there was a fire, it was always burning – whether it was just resting with flickering browns and ambers, or whether it was roaring with hot reds and oranges. It was always there, waiting, ready.

Remus stirred and he stretched, his nose scrunching up slightly before he yawned.

“Wake up, Moony.” Sirius said softly, his voice low.

Remus’ eyes shot open and he stared at Sirius, momentarily seeming horrified before a small smirk tugged at the end of his lips. “My head is pounding.” Remus muttered in that sticky voice that Sirius so adored.

“I’m not surprised; you little light-weight you. Had more than you could take last night didn’t you?” Sirius laughed.

If looking from a birds-eye view, above the two men the scene would play out sweet. Two partners, lying on their sides, sharing a bed, a blanket, almost a pillow – talking as the sun rays filtered in through the flimsy curtains, both happy, both smiling.

Although, in a real view, the scene was somewhat bittersweet. Because yes, they were lying on their sides, sharing a bed, a blanket and almost a pillow. But they were still only best friends. And every time Sirius gazed upon Remus, the dragon inside of him would stir to life and pull at his heart strings. And every time Remus noticed just how handsome his best friend was he would grin, look down and curl his toes. His fire crackling and roaring – his eyes lighting up.

But still, they were only best friends, both with the same opinion.

_If it was going to happen, it would’ve by now._

Little did they know the other thought that, and if neither said anything they would go on believing this until they died.

“Shall we make some coffee?” Sirius asked.

“Sounds good to me, Padfoot.”

The two men rolled out of bed and began their journey across the creaky floorboards to the shuffly kitchen. However, Remus stopped besides a drawer and went searching for a t-shirt.

“You know, you don’t have to…” Sirius commented, lingering in the doorway. His eyes watching Remus pale, scarred and delightfully freckled back.

“What?” Remus asked, looking over his shoulder.

“Wear a shirt. If it’ll make you feel better, then be my guest. But, I like you just the way you are.”

Remus smiled and looked down, nibbling his lower lip before he turned to follow Sirius without a top.

“I like you just the way you are too, Sirius.”

“Why wouldn’t you? I’m perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was rather small, I know. But it's very sweet, I didn't want it to get sickly!


	6. Paw prints and Moons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus is just trying to enjoy his Sunday.

 It was a pretty normal Sunday morning for Remus, he was still in his pyjamas at 1PM, curled up in a tartan blanket reading a book that he hadn’t put down since he woke up at 8AM. Sirius was out, Remus wasn’t sure where, because he didn’t listen in all honesty – but if Remus remembered right his hair was tied back, so maybe he was going for a run.

The noise of Sirius coming in through the door didn’t bring Remus out of his reading, neither did him humming, neither did him singing and finally Sirius got frustrated.

“I’m home! In case you didn’t notice.” He said, leaning in the doorway – his eyes set upon Remus. Usually it was the other way around, Sirius liked a lie in and Remus would be working, or reading, or learning, or cooking. But on a Sunday, things were different.

“Yep, hi. Good run?” The ginger muttered, his eyes still trained on his book.

Sirius sighed and glared at Remus in silence until he looked up at the dark haired man to find him wearing jeans and a t-shirt and his hair was down.

“Oh.” Remus muttered, still not closing his book. “For some reason I thought your hair was up… Oh! No, that was Jim!”

“Who’s Jim?!”

“The character in my book.” Remus said, grinning at Sirius who rolled his eyes.

“I went to get some bits and bobs from the shop. Like milk and bread. So, you’re welcome.” Sirius muttered. “Oh, but I did get a revelation!”

Remus’ eyes were trained back on his book, Remus hated putting a book down when it was just so damn good, and Sirius knew that so why he was trying to talk to Remus when he was in his zone was beyond him.

“Remus, listen to me!” Sirius said, pushing Remus’ shoulder.

Remus looked up and sighed, he put his book down and looked to Sirius. He didn’t even notice him moving from the doorway. “Okay, so what was your big ol’ revelation?” He asked, shuffling over in his chair so that Sirius could sit on the arm of it.

“We should get tattoos!” Sirius exclaimed, and Remus just stared. _Nah, he’s joking._ Remus thought to himself, though that grin meant he certainly was not. Remus had seen that grin many times, it meant he was proud of himself.

Remus sighed and smirked, shaking his head. “If you’re referring to me coming with you to get another, then yes, you know I would.” Remus expected Sirius to want other tattoos, he already had a few.

“No, us. Together!” Sirius said, moving his feet so that they were on the chair next to Remus, his bum on the arm.

Remus laughed, “that’s one of the stupidest things you’ve ever said.”

“What?! Why?!”

“Me? A tattoo?”

“Yes, you. I have them, what’s wrong with tattoos?” Sirius demanded, his eyes going steely as his defence mechanisms kicked in. Though Remus could see straight through them by now.

“No, nothing. You look great, they suit you! Me? I don’t think so.”

“And why not?” Sirius asked, his voice still deadpan – just like his face.

“Because look at you, you’ve got the long dark hair and the dark eyes and the mysterious smile and the top of your ear pierced! You’ve got that bad ass look down.” Remus muttered, smiling at his friend. “And me? I’m a ginger, pale, freckled, small boy that will never wear a creased shirt and reads a whole book every Sunday.”

Sirius laughed at that. “Give yourself more credit, Moony. I’m sure you could be bad ass, just like me. Have you never even thought about getting a tattoo?”

“Yeah, I guess I have.” The ginger admitted, sighing. “But I wouldn’t even know what to get.”

“We could get matching ones.” Sirius suggested simply with a small shrug of his shoulders.

Remus smirked and chuckled to himself. “Aw Padfoot, you’d do that for me?” He mocked in a high pitched voice before he reached out and held Sirius’ ankle – in a sort of endearment way.

“Hey!” Sirius said, narrowing his eyes. “It’s not a bad idea. It wouldn’t be anything soppy, but something meaningful.”

Remus laughed and shrugged. “Give me a suggestion.”

“I could get a moon and you could get a paw print.”

“Why would I do that? I’m the moon.”

“Yes, I know. That’s the point you idiot, we’d do it for each other.”

Remus smiled softly. “Why?”

“Because we’re best friends? And it would look pretty cool!”  Sirius grinned, feeling Remus’ hand tighten around his ankle softly before he let go.

“And where would we get them?” Remus asked, folding his arms.

“Where ever!”

Remus sighed. It was going to be a long day.

The next day Remus and Sirius wound up outside a tattoo parlour, Sirius’ favourite one.

Remus rubbed his eyes and clenched his jaw. Still not sure if he should even do this. “But what if we fall out huh? Best friends do fall out, even the best of them.”

Sirius laughed and tilted his head. “Yeah, but not us. We’re different, come on, Moony.”

It took a while to coax him in but eventually the two men were sitting in the waiting area, waiting to be called in. “You’ll go first, yeah?”

Sirius nodded, “yes, of course.”

A few minutes later a heavily tattooed man with hair similar to Sirius’ appeared. “Remus, is it?” Remus nodded but then looked to Sirius, as to say ‘you’re going first.’

“Hey, Sirius. Back again?” The man grinned to him, his eyes glancing to Remus. “And with a… Friend?” He asked, a little uncertain.

Sirius smiled. “Hiya Johnny, yeah. This is Remus, a first timer.”

The man – Johnny – smiled and nodded. “Well, come on then Remus. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”  

Remus laughed and got up, Sirius following soon behind.

It wasn’t long before Remus was lying on his front, biting his lower lip – the nerves from the fact he was going to get a tattoo, and additionally that his back was exposed.

Johnny was over the other side of the room, getting the gun and ink ready for Remus whilst Sirius sat in the chair next to Remus -  he leaned over.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said quietly into his ear.

“Do my scars look bad?” Remus blurted out, the worry evident on his face.

“No, Remus, they’re beautiful. Relax.” Sirius smiled, his hand resting on Remus head for a minute before he pulled away and sat back down.

“Right then, Remus. This is going on your back, yeah? In between your shoulder blades?” Johnny asked and Remus hummed a yes.

The two men had spent some time planning their deigns and deciding on an area. Sirius’ was going in the same place, having a full moon with some black clouds underneath and a small ‘R.’ underneath them. Whilst Remus was having a black paw print with a simple ‘S.’ underneath.

It wasn’t long before it was over, they weren’t massive but they weren’t too much. They were elegant and Remus grinned lightly as he looked at his in the mirror, Sirius was paying for them.

“It’s not too bad,” Remus muttered to himself. The pain wasn’t bad, and as it turned out he didn’t look too stupid.

“It’s not is it?” Sirius grinned, appearing in the doorway with a smile on his lips. “Now, get your shirt on. We’ll go for breakfast.” He smirked then disappeared.

Remus found his shirt and buttoned it up slowly, staring to the floor. Maybe these tattoos didn’t mean that much to Sirius, but they did to Remus. And Sirius was right, they weren’t like other best friends – they were different and Remus wouldn’t change that for the world.

Apart from maybe, to become partners.


End file.
